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Climate change: Getting adaptation right

In developing countries, coping with climate change means creating adaptation mechanisms to boost resilience and the ability to cope with anticipated impacts. A number of countries have prepared National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) detailing the policies and programmes needed to build ‘adaptive capacity’, and reduce national vulnerability to climate change. This ODI Opinion examines experience from Bangladesh and Ethiopia to set out five key steps to getting adaptation right:

1. Coordinated and systemised assessment of the best available climate change science at national, local and, where needed, regional levels;2. Knowledge that is adequately and demonstrably reflected in adaptation programmes and is ‘verified’ across a wide specturm of development institutions;3. Adaptation strategies should be grounded in good development practice at all level;4. A clear strategy for the implementation of adaptation strategies, including cross-sectoral dimensions and disbursement of funds;5. Parallel investment in the continued development of knowledge at national and regional level to improve the decision-making environment and the capacity of researchers and decision–makers to make the important connections between research, knowledge, policy and practice.

The Opinion argues that getting adapation right involves complex development policy management and implementation based on the best available climate and social science. It is important that substantial investments are also made in the knowledge environment surrounding adaptation to climate change at national level.

The principle of providing financial incentives to developing countries to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) has gained traction in international climate policy. But are countries ready for REDD? This Opinion concludes that REDD readiness requires more understanding of what it is that drives changes in land use.

This blog assesses the recently-published Eliasch Review on international financing to reduce deforestation. It argues that the review focuses too much on the finances and not enough on the politics that affects forest conservation, at national and international level.